Konstanz

Konstanz is a city in southern Germany. It lies on the border with Switzerland and on Lake Constance (Bodensee) between Obersee and Untersee, exactly where the river Rhine exits the lake. The city is split in two by the Rhine. Although the Rhine is the usual border between Switzerland and Germany, the historic part of Konstanz lies on the south ("Swiss") side of the Rhine and is more or less an exclave.

Understand
Konstanz has traces of civilization dating from the stone age and was settled by the Romans in about 50 CE. Konstanz was an important trade centre and a spiritual centre. At the council of Konstanz in 1414-1418, a papal election was held, ending the papal schism. Three popes went into the council (one from Avignon one from Rome one from Pisa) an entirely different person left as the single pope. The council was also the place where Jan Hus was burned despite an assurance of safe passage. Konstanz attempted to join the Swiss Confederacy in about 1460, but was voted down. Due to its proximity to Switzerland, Konstanz was not bombed during World War II and its historic old town remains intact. It is a historic city with a charming old town, and could be called the jewel of the region.



By plane
Konstanz has no commercial airport. The closest airports are:
 * Zurich Airport (Switzerland) . By car 1 hour to Konstanz. By train 1 to 1.5 hours to Konstanz. There is a direct train from Zurich airport to Konstanz once an hour, and another train with a connection in Weinfelden once an hour.
 * Friedrichshafen Airport (Germany) . By car 1 hour to Konstanz (take the car ferry between Meersburg and Konstanz). By train approx. 2 hours to Konstanz. By boat approx 1 hour to Konstanz (take the train from Friedrichshafen airport to Friedrichshafen Hafen and get the Katamaran to Konstanz).
 * Stuttgart Airport (Germany) . By car 2 hours to Konstanz. By train 2.5 to 3 hours to Konstanz.
 * EuroAirport (Basel, Switzerland). About 2 hours by car.  By train, 2 hours from Konstanz first to the Basel Bad Bahnhof (in Germany) then about 45 minutes by regular tram/bus to the airport via a transfer at the Basel SBB station on the Swiss side.

By train
The other train stations in Konstanz are in the city districts of Petershausen, Fürstenberg and Wollmatingen.

Most places around Lake Constance can be reached by train: Romanshorn, St. Gallen, Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen can all be reached with a change in Kreuzlingen (which is the "Swiss suburb" of Konstanz, just across the border), whereas Friedrichshafen, Lindau and other German places around the lake require a change in Radolfzell and take a long time - the boat can often be quicker. Bregenz in Austria is best reached via Switzerland - change in Rorschach and St Margrethen.

To reach Konstanz from the rest of Germany is time-consuming. There are direct trains to Karlsruhe (3 hours on a scenic route through the Black Forest), but other connections require a change in Offenburg (for Frankfurt and cities further north), Radolfzell (Ulm, Augsburg, München and beyond) or Singen (Stuttgart).

By car
From Germany: from the A81, take the B33 into Konstanz. From Switzerland: the A7 leads straight into Konstanz.

By boat
Possible from many cities on Lake Constance. The fastest connections are : Bodensee Schifffahrt runs several services across Lake Constance which may take longer, but include more cities. Apart from Meersburg and Friedrichshafen, the ferries to and from Konstanz call in. al. in Überlingen (1.5hr), Lindau in Bavaria (2hr) and Bregenz in Vorarlberg, Austria (4hr). The timetable is quite intricate and not all departures include all stops.
 * Car ferry from Meersburg, runs several times an hour from 06:00 until 24:00, and once an hour from 00:00 until 06:00. The crossing takes 15 min.
 * Katamaran from Friedrichshafen, runs once an hour from 06:00 until 19:00, taking around an hour.

On foot
Konstanz's centre (old town) is largely pedestrian and very walkable.

By bus
The bus system is fast and efficient. The bus costs €2.10 (adult) or €1.05 (child). A day ticket is €4.00.

By taxi
Taxis are nearly always available in front of the main train station.

By bicycle
There are bicycle paths all over the city. Bicycles can be rented from near the train station (about 100 m north of the main station building) for €12 per day or less.

Eat
Konstanz has a rich variety of all kinds of restaurants, cafes, bistros and bars. Due to the proximity of the Swiss border, prices are higher than in other cities (mentally add €2 to every main dish you are eating in other German cities).

In summertime most restaurants offer outside sitting and eating, in the evening hours it is hard to find a place, occasionally.

A yearly published magazine "Die Seezunge" covers many of the Konstanz eateries and is available in tabac shops and kiosks.

A good start to discover the Konstanz restaurant scene is to start at the central marketplace Marktstätte. Just north of the "Marktstätte" is the old fish market site Fischmarkt.

There are lots of very good "Dönerbuden" (kebap houses) in the city center selling this Turkish dish.

Sleep


If you're looking for a hostel, there are also a couple in the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen, which is practically a suburb of Konstanz.

Go next

 * Mainau Island &mdash; "The Flower Island" is known for its warm climate and beautiful botanical gardens, parks, butterfly house and greenhouse.
 * The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) &mdash; about 2 hours away by train or 1.5 hours by car (in Germany).
 * Other cities and towns on Lake Constance. Especially recommended are Meersburg, Lindau and Bregenz.
 * Stein am Rhein
 * Schaffhausen &mdash; for the Rhine Falls
 * Reichenau Island
 * Kreuzlingen &mdash; this neighbouring Swiss city has a really nice waterfront with large parks and playgrounds and a small zoo. Simply walk south along the waterfront from Konstanz to get there.
 * Swiss Alps &mdash; in winter, sign up at one of the local sports stores (e.g. Intersport Gruner across from the Lago Center, or Karstadt Sport in the basement of the Lago Center) to join a bus day-trip to a ski resort.